The Trumpy The Clown Convention Approaches

In Cleveland, on July 18 the Republican Party formally surrenders to Trumpism. The excuses some are making to avoid it are getting funny now. Texas Governor Greg Abbott was scalded with hot water on his feet and legs by the Good Lord. There are 54 GOP senators. So far 16 of them have gone to the media to announce they're boycotting the Trump convention next week. Others say they haven't decided yet. Jeff Flake of Arizona had the coolest excuse-- he has to mow his lawn. Others avoiding the stigma include Marco Rubio (R-FL), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Ben Sasse (R-NE), Roy Blunt (R-MO), John McCain (R-AZ), Richard Shelby (R-AL), Lisa Murkowsky (R-AK), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Mike Enzi (R-WY), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Steve Daines (R-MT), although June Thune (R-SD), Rand Paul and Dean Heller (R-NV) are still trying to think of appropriate excuses. But the one guy who no one could blame-- the guy whose father Trump accused to complicity in the assassination of JFK-- is going to be speaking at the Trumpist convention anyway. Does anyone else find it kind of awkward that John Kasich is boycotting the convention considering he's the governor of the state hosting the thing? Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is going, even though he has a tough reelection battle. It's possible his aides haven't told him there's a controversy.

A few weeks ago Trump thundered that no one who hadn't endorsed him would be allowed to speak at the convention so, it's likely that he and Cruz have worked out a little song and dance, in which Cruz moves past all the insults Trump hurled at his family and endorses Trump in Cleveland. He says he's doing it to defend "conservative principles" and denies that he and Trump have even discussed an endorsement.

Cruz to Glenn Beck's radio audience: "Our country is facing enormous challenges and I do not believe it is the responsible choice for conservatives to shy away from defending the principles we believe in, from talking about who America is and how we go forward to get on a better path and that's what I intend to do at the convention. I'm going to be there to say thank you and to do my very best to lay out a vision for what we as Americans, what we as conservatives believe, and where we go forward from here."